Former Anam Cara CPE Student Named Florida National Guard State Command Chaplain

St. Augustine, Fla. — September 17, 2026 — Lt. Col. Lance Sellon, a former Clinical Pastoral Education student with the School of Military Spiritual Formation and supervisory education student with Anam Cara CPE, has been named State Command Chaplain of the Florida National Guard.

Sellon formally assumed the role September 12 during the Florida National Guard's first-ever Changing of the Stole ceremony at the Robert F. Ensslin Jr. Armory in St. Augustine. The ceremony marked the transfer of spiritual leadership from outgoing State Command Chaplain Col. Glenn Finch to Sellon and established a new tradition for the Florida National Guard.

As State Command Chaplain, Sellon assumes senior responsibility for the spiritual care and religious support of Florida National Guard Soldiers and Airmen and for advising organizational leadership on matters related to religion, spirituality, morale, and the well-being of the force.

Sellon's relationship with the programs that would become Anam Cara began through the School of Military Spiritual Formation, where he completed Clinical Pastoral Education. He later continued into supervisory education through Anam Cara CPE, preparing not only to practice clinical spiritual care but to help form other chaplains in that work.

For Sellon, one of the most significant changes produced through CPE was deceptively simple: learning to listen.

"You are about to begin one of the most meaningful events of your ministry life (and quite possibly your life). I knew I would be stretched and challenged. I wasn't aware to what extent and how strengthening that would be to my faith, my family, and my overall life and ministry fitness.

"I learned to be comfortable with discomfort, calm in the face of challenges and confrontations, comforting in others' pain, and how to be still. I learned to listen. Then I learned how to listen better.

"CPE has impacted my life and work by making me a better listener to God. I am a better listener to my spouse and child. I am a better listener and minister to my soldiers and clients. I am a better listener to people who are in pain. I am a better listener to people of different faith traditions. I am a better listener to people of different life choices and preferences. I am a better listener to people with whom I disagree. I am a better listener to people I do not like.

"I ask better questions. I hear deeper responses and reflections. I share life with people. I am more comfortable with pain, shame, grief, sadness, anger, and loneliness. I am more comfortable with myself."

That emphasis on listening has characterized Sellon's military chaplaincy for years. In earlier National Guard coverage, Sellon described his desire to understand the lives of combat-arms Soldiers so that he could become more trustworthy to them. The National Guard Association of the United States later quoted him summarizing the chaplain's role simply: "We keep soldiers in the mission and in the fight because we listen."

Sellon's military career predates his service as a chaplain. He originally enlisted in the Army and served in leadership roles before discerning a call to chaplaincy. His subsequent service has included deployments to Afghanistan and Africa and years of ministry throughout the Florida Army National Guard.

His connection to Anam Cara also extends beyond the classroom. Sellon was among the military chaplains who recognized the broader impact of Anam Cara Director Dr. Rick Capezza's work in military chaplain formation. In 2026, Sellon helped nominate Capezza for the Order of Aaron and Hur, the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps' highest recognition for a civilian or non-regimental individual, after observing the reach of Capezza's work across the Armed Forces.

The relationship illustrates a recurring pattern in the development of the School of Military Spiritual Formation and Anam Cara CPE: chaplains entering the program for their own formation and later carrying that formation into positions where they influence the care and development of thousands of others.

For Sellon, that next chapter now comes as the senior chaplain serving the Florida National Guard.

During the Changing of the Stole ceremony, the incoming and outgoing State Command Chaplains participated in a ritual designed to symbolize continuity in spiritual leadership. The names of successive state command chaplains will be added to the stole, allowing future chaplains to physically carry the legacy of those who previously held the position.

Sellon described the ceremony as a profound moment in his military and ministry career.

His appointment places another graduate of the School of Military Spiritual Formation and Anam Cara's supervisory education program into significant leadership within professional military chaplaincy.